The cast of FLEXN. Supplied Image
A collaboration between Reggie ‘Regg Roc’ Gray (who also performs), acclaimed director Peter Sellars, and members of the community of flex dancers from the United States, this is art with meaning – not just something that looks good or feels good.
Not knowing much about the predominant style of dance that would make up this production initially, any thoughts of it being a one-dimensional performance were quickly blown away.
Thankfully, the program also has a ‘flexapedia’ to outline a bit about each of the moves and the wording behind it.
This is a production that comes loaded with meaning; referencing to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the events that have shaken the US in recent times. With such events unfolding around them as this production took shape, they have played a key part in developing the stories portrayed on stage.
Understandably, this was at times an incredibly confronting performance; at times even depressing and sad. It comes with a warning stating the production contains adult themes, violence and drug references – and it is true that many of the themes are challenging – but we as a society should not look away from what is a daily reality for many people.
FLEXN is broken into distinct ‘episodes’ with each dancer getting their moment in the spotlight (quite literally in Solitary Dances). Each piece tells a story of everyday life, from going to work to caring for a child, as well as lives gripped by crime. Death is a prominent feature, as is mourning and loss. The depictions of the violence young men force upon one another was unrelenting.
Sometimes the dancers (who are often freestyling) ‘dance-acted’ to the lyrics of the wildly eclectic soundtrack – sometimes mouthing along with the words as they performed.
A company of 15; it features a predominately male cast, however the female performers bring their own individual strengths to each of the dances, combining grace and power in most of their movements.
In many ways, this flex style of dance can appear deceptive, with the sheer fluidity of movement (including when ‘gliding’ and ‘connecting’) hiding the absolute strength it would take to achieve that impression. Many movements were utterly precise (‘pausing’) and others graceful. However, what really sticks out is the ‘bone-breaking’, which looks true to its name. The dancers who were skilled at this contorted their arms around themselves in ways that made the audience recoil in pain as it looked like joints were set to come out of their sockets. Again, it was confronting and almost dared the viewer not to look away.
The sparse but striking set design conceived by Ben Zamora – a huge wall embedded with incandescent rods of light – drew attention to pockets of movement that would take place at various parts of the stage.
Intriguing in its form and powerfully presented, FLEXN is an eye-opening production that should be widely seen.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
FLEXN
A Collaboration of Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, Peter Sellars and Members of the Flex Community
Lighting Sculpture & Design: Ben Zamora
Sound Design: Garth MacAleavey
Costume Design: Gabriel Berry
Music: Epic B
Cast: Ace, Android, Banks, Brixx, Cal, Deidra, Dre Don, Droid, Karnage, Sam I Am, Scorp, Shellz, Slicc and Tyme
The Playhouse, Queensland Performing Arts Centre
23-26 September
Brisbane Festival 2015
www.brisbanefestival.com.au
5-26 September
